MovieChat Forums > Phase IV Discussion > Question after watching Phase IV trailer...

Question after watching Phase IV trailer...

posted 16 years ago by bgdawes
13 replies | jump to latest

I just got the new 42nd Street Forever (great series) and have been struck by the trailer for Phase IV.

This movie looks so bizarre and oddly compelling. I also remember seeing this available to rent on VHS back when I was a kid. I never got around to picking it up so now I'm kicking myself.

Question for anyone who 'has' watched this, how do the truly bizarre scenes work into this? (ie the scenes with a man that has no face, a finger digging out of the skin of a man's forehead, etc)

There are some scenes on the preview that are so bizarre and surreal that they don't look like they belong in an 'ant attack' film.

Release this on DVD - I need to see it!

[–] puschit-1 16 years ago

I haven't seen the trailer and I am a little bit confused about your descriptions because there simply is no scene where " finger is digging out of the skin of a man's forehead". However, the film is quite surreal and bizarre. you are right, they don't belong in an "ant attack" film - but there we go, Phase IV is in no way an ant attack film. It's half scientific and half mystery thriller. I'd rather compare it to Odyssey 2001, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the version with Donald Sutherland) or Dark Star (minus the odd humour).

So just go out and rent it if you can find it! It's worth watching either way, the scenes with ants alone are worth it.

[–] brucedgo 15 years ago

Here's a trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3RFjpN6vbo

No foreheads there that I noticed.

Found another one, longer and more interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BORo4LUSwzY

And by the way, this one does have the forehead and the fingers. But the clips are flashing by so fast it's hard to tell if this is supposed to be an actual scene from the film.

"The more you drive, the less intelligent you are"
-- Repo Man

[–] solaris72 15 years ago

But the clips are flashing by so fast it's hard to tell if this is supposed to be an actual scene from the film.

The original film had a 3-4 minute super-surreal epilogue showing images of the ant world. It was unfortunately cut by distributors. I'm pretty sure these weird shots in the trailer that aren't in the film itself were shots from this original ending.

[–] mark_nems 14 years ago

Here is the theatrical trailer. Some of the original ending can be seen starting at the 2:00 mark into the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4fOsL-KYVQ

[–] wtdk123 14 years ago

The scenes in the trailer that aren't in the film were from the original surreal "2001" like ending--the ants combine the surviving scientist with the girl creating a new hybrid creature that it sends out (altered on a genetic level as well and incorporating some of the dna from the ants)to change the world--the next step in evolution.

It was previewed and then when audiences didn't react kindly to the "confusing" conclusion (which IS in Mayo Simon's novel of his screenplay--next to impossible to find I might add)Paramount recut the ending into its more conventional and less satisfying conclusion. The trailer IIRC had already been prepared prior to the film being re-edited and, hence, the footage survives in there but to the best of my knowledge can't be found anywhere else unless Paramount has an early preview cut in its vault somewhere.

[–] wtdk123 14 years ago

I take that back it IS available--http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/barry-n-malzberg/phase-iv.htm

I thought that Simon wrote the novelization (memory tricks since he did write the screenplay) but the novel based on the unaltered screenplay was by writer Barry Malzberg.

[–] phasmatrope 11 years ago

The full original ending was indeed cut when test audiences reacted poorly... Bass apparently recut it, SOME of it DID make it into the trailer, and the original ending was considered "lost" for over 30 years... however, it was recently found and has been making the rounds attached to the end of the theatrical cut in special screenings (in Los Angeles at least) as of summer 2012. However, considering that not too many people know of the film, this same restorer-- whose name escapes me-- brought up the point that it probably wasn't so much lost as much as that unfortunately no one was really looking for it per se.

However, if you are indeed curious to see it, the lost ending HAS made it onto YouTube (filmed from the audience). There has also been some discussion of a Criterion Collection release-- apparently Paramount and Bass's daughter Jennifer Bass is one of the only people who own the rights-- so you might want to try bugging Criterion to release it, as I have been doing: suggestions @ criterion . com

[–] LuciaJoyce 11 years ago

I saw a screening of Phase IV with the original ending at Cinefamily (Los Angeles) last night; and Hadrian Belove, who runs Cinefamily, mentioned that a DVD of the restored film is in the works. He mentioned casually that the ending will probably wind up as an extra, since it's so out there.

--
I should warn you -- he's a Fourierist.

[–] askmonroville 11 years ago

Well, if someone like Criterion (or Synapse, Severin or Olive Films) put it out on blu-ray, they can always do seamless branching between the theatrical ending and the director's original version.

Of which you can see on youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beLpsWaUDNk

[–] jaynobody 10 years ago

I am holding off buying this because it sounds like there will be a blu ray with the "lost" ending at some point in the future. It sucks that every new movie gets a blu ray but we have to harass Criterion to release old ones.

[–] jbuckets 10 years ago

I missed part of the movie.

What was sprayed onto the ants during the yellow alert after the generator was sabotaged?

How did the two people caught in the spray escape/ remove it afterwards?

Thanks! :-)

[–] The_Celluloid_Sage 8 years ago

Late I know, but as no one replied (and unsure if you've watched this again)...

we can only assume it was some liquid type powder (much like you can buy at the shop). As we find out, it was rather pointless (much like the same *beep* you can buy lol) as the next generation of eggs are immune to it.

As for the elderly couple caught in it, they didn't. They died from the exposure to it, while Lynne hid in a basement.

[–] KutWrite (1220) 2 years ago

Update on Dec 2021:

The YouTube links and some articles linked above are now "unavailable," probably due to a copyright strike.

This is the ending the Hollywood Reporter article refers to. It's also the ending I saw today: https://youtu.be/oHWSAZ3fZsQ

Later, I found this longer-montage ending that includes the "reverse-mermaid," some nudity, interacting with animals and other scenes others have described. It appears to add about 5 min to the version I saw:

https://youtu.be/0rMqT4GD944

Though there are some great "Saul Bassy" scenes in the longer one, I personally prefer the one linked at the top. It has more punch.